Friday, 4 May 2012

I don't get out much. I am not a hermit though and I do enjoy going out, providing the circumstances are right. A day of fresh air and countryside is preferable to traipsing around the shops as I would rather dodge insects and tree branches than hapless retail enthusiasts.

I've been very busy lately running a business which has kept me indoors probably too much, but as it revolves around food, I've not been unhappy, but I would have liked to have gone out and foraged for some wild garlic.
As part of my work entails much use of social media I was lucky enough to encounter a generous person on Twitter who offered to post me some wild garlic after seeing my tweet asking if anyone knew of good foraging sites in North Herts.

A packet arrived promptly and intact from Bere Marsh Farm. I was initially concerned that the fresh-picked leaves might not make the journey from Dorset, but Royal Mail had been careful not to squash them.
Fiona Gerardin sells packs of her organic wild garlic on eBay, which is a good thing to know, if you want to try it, but can't get to somewhere to collect it yourself.

From my quick research I know that wild garlic (latin name: allium ursinum) also known as ramsoms, grows in moist woodland areas and flowers in the spring before most trees have regained their leaves.
Many experienced foragers will tell you that you can follow your nose to a patch. The strong garlic scent is a dead giveaway and fortunately for this reason, makes for reliable identification. Be careful though, not to confuse it with lily of the valley which is highly toxic. Take a leaf, crush it, smell it. Smells of garlic? Than you have the right one. No smell, then best leave it.

I should point out that if you do decide to collect food plants from the wild, you should get permission from the landowner and only carefully pick what you need and never uproot plants. Nature and the environment need respect, also you would want to return the following year to the same flourishing patch, wouldn't you?

Much like bulb garlic, wild garlic can be used the same way in cooking. I made a pesto with it which had a strong garlic flavour and the added fresh green flavour from the juicy leaves. The risotto, I made was good too. The leaves I added towards the end of cooking to preserve their colour. They were jolly good in Chinese stir-fries as well.

What seemed to be a small packet contained more than it first appeared and I discovered that wild garlic leaves store well in the salad drawer of the fridge.

Maybe next year I'll be able to get out into the woods and go wild garlic hunting for myself or failing that, I'll just have to grow it in the garden.

A Little Bit About Me

I've been an avid collector of recipes over the years – mostly from books and magazines, but also from family and friends too.
I make no claims to being a perfect chef, but the people who eat what I cook, invariably, leave the table happy and satisfied.
Whilst I haven't yet extensively travelled the world, a comfy sofa, the internet and piles of books full of beautiful photographs, have served me well in gaining some knowledge and experience of other countries and their cuisine.

Desserts & Puddings

Miscellaneous

How To

Tasty Tips

MAKE WASHING-UP EASIER: After you've chopped meat or fish or used eggs or flour in your food processor, rinse out with cold water first, before immersing in hot. This stops the remnants from cooking on, making cleaning easier.

GET THE MOST FROM CITRUS ZEST: Grate the zest directly into the bowl, in which you are mixing your ingredients, as this will catch all the oils that burst from the skin, giving maximum flavour.

USE CLING FILM TO ROLL OUT PASTRY: Put one piece on your work surface, dust with flour, place dough on top and dust with flour again. Put another piece of cling film over it and roll away. Stops it from sticking and makes everything so much easier to clear up afterwards.

INVEST IN A SET OF MEASURING SPOONS: A teaspoon is only a teaspoon by name – with correctly sized spoons specifically for the purpose, you'll never get it wrong again.